A Halloween To Remember
by miraculous.bitch
Summary: Halloween is a bit tricky for everyone, but for Cat Noir and Ladybug, Halloween is going to be one of the most difficult nights of the year. Will they be able to hide their secret identities from their friends, and more importantly, each other?
1. Invitations and Daydreaming

Chapter 1

The air was chilly and filled with delighted shrieks of young Parisians and their guardians. To a child, this was the most exciting night of the year. Halloween. When you could be whoever you wanted, and collect mounds of delicious treats in the process. A night of friends, sweets, laughter, and most importantly, spooks. For Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste, this Halloween wasn't just creepy, it was absolutely terrifying.

Marinette's best friend, Alya, was hosting a spectacular Halloween bash, of which their entire class was invited to attend. Alya, being the most wonderful of party planners, was completely calm and composed. The black and orange streamers were weaved carefully between the staircase banister, the helium-filled balloons were tied neatly into bunches of even numbers, and the snacks were tidily organized by color. Every guest had responded, confirming their attendance, including Alya's special guests. Ladybug and Cat Noir. Earlier that week...

"Cat Noir and Ladybug, Marinette! They're actually coming! Can you believe it? I can't! Oh, this is so exciting!". The blogger had been chattering on about her favorite superheros' reply to her invitation since yesterday evening.

"I know! It's amazing! How did you convince them to come, anyways?" Little did Alya know, Marinette already knew the answer to this question, for she, in fact, was Ladybug, and worked closely with her partner, Cat Noir.

"Oh, it was easy! I just tracked their latest rescuing of an akumatized victim, and handed them each an invitation. Sure, I had to fight my way past crowds of reporters and news casters, but it was well worth it!" explained Alya, pulling her phone from her back pocket, and unlocking it, "I even managed to capture a video, perfect for the Ladyblog!"

The darker-haired girl stared intently at the screen, pretending to be amazed, while her best friend observed with a look of pride. She thought back to the day she received the invitation, as pictured in the video. You see, Marinette had issues with turning offers down. She just couldn't say no, poor girl. When Alya had given Ladybug an invitation to the party, she just couldn't disappoint her friend. Unfortunately, Marinette had also been invited, so her night was about to become very stressful and difficult. Usually balancing her double life was easy, but this time was different. Everyone would be wearing costumes, so if someone saw Ladybug, they might just see Marinette in a Ladybug costume, and put the pieces together. Her identity as a superhero was very secret, so any chance that it might be revealed was a horrifying thought. Cat Noir's attendance didn't make the issue better. He was always giving signs that he wanted to reveal his true identity to her, most likely expecting her to do the same. But she just couldn't! It would jeopardize their friendship. She was better off alone...

"Hey dudes, whatcha talkin' about?"

Nino and Adrien walked up behind them, making Marinette jump, causing Alya to giggle. The fashion designer had a tendency to act strangely around Adrien, as she was majorly crushing on him.. Not to mention, the nervousness and anticipation of the Halloween celebration was making her extra jumpy.

"Oh, nothing! Just the fact that Ladybug and Cat Noir are coming to my party tonight!" Alya announced.

"Wow! Ladybug?" Adrien said, sighing, "That's amazing!"

"Ooh! Looks like someone's in love with a certain spotted bug!" teased Alya.

Quickly snapping out of his daydream, Adrien said, "Ha, ha. Very funny."

Marinette smiled shyly, and blushed a dark shade of pink. She had already figured out that Cat Noir was crushing on Ladybug, but Adrien too? Wow, I guess daily saving Paris was a quality that many boys found attractive.

"So, are you guys gonna show on Friday? Alya said you didn't RSVP yet, and I need to know how many macarons to make for the dessert table!" Marinette said, with a surprising amount of confidence.

"Uh, totally! Right, Adrien?" Nino said.

"Of course! If Ladybug's gonna be there, I'm in!" He clicked his tongue and winked at Marinette, then jogged off with Nino.

As soon as their backs were turned, the girls started squealing. Now Marinette had both Adrien and Alya counting on Ladybug being at the party. She was just going to have to figure it out...


	2. A Walk and A New Supervillian

Chapter 2

School had just ended, and for once, Adrien had the day off. Finally, a chance to be a normal kid. He dialed his chauffeur, and gave him a free day. Today, Adrien wasn't going to be driven around like a high and mighty model, he was going to walk home. Out of the corner of his eye, his spotted one of his classmates, Marinette. A dark-blue haired girl with a knack for fashion designing.

" _She's quite pretty, actually, but of course, nothing compared to my lady,"_ Adrien thought to himself, " _Well if I'm going to be walking home, I might as well do it with a friend."_

"Hey Marinette, wait up!" he shouted from across the courtyard, then caught up to her, "Mind if I walk with you?"

She looked at him as if she was a deer, and he was driving a car that was about to run over her, then said, "Uhhh...ummm… sure Adrien! I'd love you! I-I mean I love the way you walk-wait I meant I would... um... I'd love to walk with you! Yeah, that's it,". She smiled awkwardly.

The walk became very quiet as they headed out the main entrance of the school, and down the street. It was clear they had a lot of tension between them. It was just like a movie, the dorky, blunette fashion designer was in love with the famous, blonde model. The real question she was asking herself was, did he like her back?

" _Say something, Adrien! You're making her feel awkward!"_ , the boy thought.

"So, are you excited for the party on Friday? Do you know what you're going to dress up as? What kinds of deserts were you planning to make?"

"Retreat! Abort mission! Too many questions! And "what kinds of deserts were you planning to make?"? You sound like a greedy pig!" Even in his thoughts he was insecure.

"Yeah, I guess I'm excited, but I don't know what I'm going to be yet. As for the deserts, it's surprise!" She winked, then immediately regretted it. What was she thinking?

Adrien looked closer at her eyes, and noticed their shade of blue. Hmm…

They continued their silence until they arrived in front of Marinette's family's bakery.

"Thanks for walking with me," Adrien said. The girl nodded in response, smiled and went inside.

"I know I've seen those eyes somewhere…"

* * *

"But Tiki! How am I supposed to juggle being at the party as Marinette and as Ladybug?" Marinette said worriedly as she paced her bedroom. "I mean, I don't even have a costume yet! And don't forget that Cat Noir will be there, too! He never helps the problem. I'm sure he'd be absolutely pleased with himself if he found out my civilian identity, wouldn't worry at all about the consequences. Just great! Fantastic!"

"Look on the bright side, Marinette. Don't forget that Adrien will be there too!" the Kwami said brightly, "besides, I'm sure you can go shopping for a costume with Alya before the party!"

"Oh Adrien… WAIT!" Marinette stood upright, and stopped pacing, "If Adrien's a big fan of Ladybug, won't he realize that we're the same person?"

"Calm down Marinette! You've been in the same class for almost a year now, and he hasn't noticed a thing. I think it's safe to say one night isn't going to do any difference."

At that moment, Marinette's phone rang. Alya.

"Hey girl how ya doing so I was thinking neither of us have costumes yet and that's really bad because I'm the host and I'm expected to wear a costume and I all I have is a bumblebee costume from last year and of course I can't wear that I have to wear a Lady Wifi costume because I'm Lady Wifi and y-"

"Woah, slow down. Let's try that again, a little slower, please?"

"Whew. Okay, do you wanna go costume shopping with me? I can meet you in front of your house tomorrow at noon."

"Of course, girl! See you then!"

Marinette hung up, and collapsed on her bed. Hopefully outfit hunting with Alya would get the worry out of her mind…

* * *

"Ugh, Plagg! What am I going to do?"

"Uh, I don't really know, as long as you don't mess anything up," the cat kwami said.

"What am I going to do about Ladybug? She got an invitation too, so she'll be there! It's extremely important that I don't mess this up!" Adrien said, and he sat down at his desk and opened the Ladyblog on his enormous computer.

"She's perfect, Plagg! She's so strong and confident, and absolutely beautiful," he continued, gesturing to the screen, "She's so funny and teasing, but still knows when to takes things seriously. She's absolutely one of a kind! I have to know who she really is!"

"Well how are you going to get her to tell you? You've been trying for quite a while, and you've failed every time!" Plagg said with a laugh.

"You'll see, just you wait! Tonight at the party, I'll drop hints that Cat Noir and I are one and the same. I'll tell her it'll help with our teamwork, and she'll be sure to tell me who she is. Once she knows who I really am, she'll have much bigger chance of falling in love with me!"

"That sounds a bit far fetched, but as long as I'm getting my Camembert, I don't really care."

Suddenly, _BAM!_ Adrien ran the the window. A teenage girl dressed in a gown made entirely out of leaves was standing in the middle of the street outside, perched on top of a parked car. She had wild, olive-colored hair, with a pink lotus flower stuck behind her right ear.

"I am Bontanica! Controller of all plants, and your new queen! Bow down to me you peasants, or I'll make you!"

The people started to run, but they weren't quick enough. Botanica pointed dramatically at the fleeing civilians, and giant vines erupted from the ground and ensnared the victims in their grasp. The plants wrapped themselves around the trembling people so tightly, they could barely breathe.

The blonde turned to his kwami and said, "This looks like a job for Cat Noir. Plagg, claws out!" He transformed from a regular teenager into a crime-fighting hero as his cat companion became one with his ring, and granted him super powers.

Meanwhile, in the upstairs of the local bakery and sweet shop, "Tiki, spots on!"


	3. Nature's Predicament

Hey reader! Sorry this has taken so long to update, I had several big projects due, it being the end of the school year and all. This chapter, you'll notice, is longer than my last two, so enjoy that. Please review if you have any comments about the length, should I make it longer next time? Next thing on the list, I'm terrible at writing action, and unfortunately this chapter has a lot of it, so forgive me. There is some LadyNoir romance at the end, so prepare yourself! And with that, I shall stop rambling and just let you get on to reading the chapter! So without further ado, here you go!

* * *

Ladybug leapt out of her bedroom window, ready to save the akumatized victim. Using her yo-yo, she flew her way across the city, ready to save yet another innocent citizen from the evil powers of an akuma. As she made her way to the center of the commotion, she noticed giant vines and flowering plants emerging from below the streets and trapping passer-bys. Any normal girl would be freaking out, not knowing what to do or how she could help, and finding somewhere to hide, but for Ladybug, this was the norm. Actually, she'd be more surprised if there hadn't been a chaotic situation today, everyone always acted petty in competitions. Today, the flower floats for the Halloween parade were being judged. Everyone ages 14 and under was eligible, so the high school students and adults were banned from entering. The owner of the winning creation was featured in the parade, and got to meet Ladybug and Chat Noir, who would be on board the float during the event. As Ladybug arrived at the scene, she spotted the source of the craziness. A small girl, who looked about 13, wreaking havoc just outside of the Agreste mansion.

"I wonder what happened," she thought out loud.

"Maybe her float lost the competition?" said a voice from behind her.

"Well someone finally decided to show up!"

"Always a pleasure, M'lady," the leather-clad hero said as he bent down, took her hand, and kissed the back of it.

She pulled her hand away, "Chat Noir! This is no time to be fooling around!"

"I always have time for you," he purred, grinning.

Ladybug just rolled her eyes and ignored him. He had a habit of trying to distract her, intentionally or not. She threw her yoyo across the skyline and hooked the wire on a TV satellite, yanking it and pulling herself closer to the victim, Chat Noir following close behind her. They then leapt down from the rooftops, and braced for a fight.

"Hey you! Stop attacking those innocent people!"

"Yeah, sure. That's sure gonna stop her!" The spot-covered girl mumbled.

The plant controlling supervillainess turned to the pair of them, and smirked.

"Oh yeah? And who's gonna make me stop? You?" she cackled with delight, "Aww! The wittle kitty cat and his bug here to save the day? How sweet!"

She gestured violently in their direction, and an army of plants started slithering toward them. Using his staff, the black cat whacked the greenery.

"Uh, Chat? That doesn't seem to be doing much…"

They kept coming back, and grabbing the hero's' ankles in their leafy grasp. Chat Noir brushed off his lady's advice and continued to violently hit the plants with his weapon, which, of course, only provoked them.

"Well, we have to do something. Cataclysm!" He lifted his gloved hand high in the air, and brought it down on the base of the plant attacking the pair of them.

"Why did you do that?" Ladybug hissed as she fought off the persistent garden that instantaneously grew back and refused to stop climbing up her calves, and tangling around her thighs, "Now you only have five minutes until you change back into your civilian self!"

As much as she adored Chat Noir, his childish and impulsive ways often obstructed his ability to think clearly and make good decisions. Now that he has used his power, he had to find some way to escape from the scene before his identity was revealed to all the surrounding people.

It continued to get worse. As Ladybug and Chat Noir's futile attempts to keep the plants at bay continued, new and more dangerous species started to bloom.

"M'lady? Do you smell that?" Chat Noir said between sniffs. A scent started wafting from the fresh, green-leafed plants. A tantalizing smell that the hero could not resist. Catnip. His partner tried to hold him back, but there was no use. The cat-like boy leapt to the source of the heavenly odor, and began rolling around like there was no tomorrow.

"Chat Noir! Go hide before your transformation wears off!" Ladybug shouted in exasperation.

"Mmm. Of course, Bugaboo! Just-mmm- give me, one, second…" he said as he buried his face deep within the catnip. She only rolled her eyes in response

"There's no saving him now, Ladybug! You just can't beat me! I will win the competition, and I will get my revenge!"

The spotted superhero's face lit up, "Of course! The competition! Chat Noir was right all along! She was akumatized because she lost!"

Her eyes scanned her opponent's outfit, searching for items that could have been possessed by another one of Hawkmoth's evil butterflies."Aha! Her flower! It all makes perfect sense!"

The previous day, Marinette and Alya were checking out the could-be winning floats. The blogger was interested in guessing which one Ladybug and Chat Noir would be waving from during the upcoming event.

"Ooh! That one looks nice! I love the purple hydrangeas here. Don't you think so, Alya?"

"Yeah, it's pretty, but I think this one's gonna win!"

She pointed to an enormous platform. Marinette turned and gasped in amazement. It was fantastic. Half of it was covered in red roses, speckled with dyed black carnations in circle formations. Pale salmon tinted Lotus flowers budded towards the top, surrounding the golden railings that would encase the riders of the extravagant float. The other side was decked out in black pansies and orchids, with a wide variation of greenery lining the base of the creation. Chrysanthemums and lilies crowded near the top, bordering the lotus flowers from the other half. The entirety supported hundreds of white mechanical butterflies, resembling former akumas.

"Wow. Just.. wow!"

"I know, right? See, there's a Ladybug side, and a Chat Noir side, and look! Those are the purified akumas! This description card says that they flap their wings when the float is in motion! Isn't that cool?"

"Totally! What else does the card say?"

"Well, the creator is 13 years old, which means that this was their last chance to enter. Too bad, if they're this good, they should be able to enter next year, too."

Finishing up her memory of the day before, Ladybug muttered, "That must've been the reason for the akuma! That was her work, and now that she's lost, she can't enter again! I have to find a way to get that flower!"

"But first, I need my little kitty back so he can assist me," she glanced over at her friend to find him still rolling small fields of catnip, and said, "Well, I guess we'll have to do this the hard way. Lucky charm!"

A kettle full of boiling water fell from the sky where she had just tossed her yoyo.

"What am I supposed to do with this?", but as soon as she said it, she'd already figured it out, "Boiling water will kill any plant! If I pour liquid of such extreme heat onto a living thing, it will be steamed alive!"

She dodged several attacks from Botanica as she made her way across the street to Chat Noir. Still enjoying himself with his newfound plaything, he hadn't noticed her appearance until she had poured the contents of the steel tea-brewer over the catnip. He looked up with a hint of disappointment, but then noticed the mayhem taking place all around him.

"Thanks, M'lady!"

"Enough chit-chat you silly kitty! Let's get to work!"

Then came a rapid string of events. Ladybug and Chat Noir jumped towards Botanica and faced her with a new confidence. Ladybug threw her yoyo around her abdomen, pinning her arms to her sides. Chat Noir came from behind, and used his staff the knock the flower out of the villain's hair. He proceeded to distract her while Ladybug grabbed the misplaced flower off the cement streets and tore it apart. A small purple creature flittered out of the destroyed bud, and tried to escape before…

"That's enough evil-doing for you, little akuma! Time to de-evilize!" Ladybug shouted as she turned her yoyo into a purifying device and swung it into the air, capturing the akuma,

"Gotcha!". She yanked her multi-purpose weapon back towards her, and activated a switch on the surface of it. The former akuma was then released as a beautiful white insect, "Bye bye, little butterfly!"

As she gleefully proclaimed, "Miraculous Ladybug!" and threw the empty kettle into the atmosphere, a cloud of magic restored the city of Paris to it's former glory. She turned to her partner, and gave him a fist-bump in celebration of their victory. The pre-teen girl had just converted back to her normal form, and was looking around in confusion.

Ladybug turned to her the reporters and newscasters that had materialized on the scene, and exclaimed, "Bug out!". Chat Noir followed, and the pair of them vanished on the horizon, ricocheting off every possible surface as the sunset over the Eiffel Tower. Their silhouettes danced along the skyline, chasing after each other.

"Bugaboo! Slow down! There's no need to leave so quickly, I want to talk to you."

"You silly kitty! You know that you can't see me transform, so go away!" she giggled, still trying to disappear from view.

"LADYBUG!" he yelled, with a sudden burst of frustration, "JUST STOP FOR A SECOND AND TALK TO ME!"

With wide eyes, Ladybug stopped in her tracks and waited for her friend. He was panting when he caught up, and flopped down on the roof where they were perched atop of, his legs dangling over the edge of the structure. With caution, she joined in and took a seat, her body stiff and jittery. They sat in silence for what seemed like an hour, carefully choosing their next words.

"M-M'lady. I'm sorry I raised my voice at you. That was wrong,". He spoke softly and hesitantly, worried of frightening her.

"It's okay, Minou."

More silence. Then, "What did you want to talk to me about?"

Nervously, he explained,"Well, I sorta ruined it.". He retrieved a single red rose from the back pocket of his costume, "It's crinkled now, but it was beautiful when I bought it. I was going to go into this long speech about my love for you, but now that I've yelled, it's probably not the best time…"

"Oh Chat, that's sweet but-"

"But what? Ladybug! You can't just keep ignoring my affections! If you want me to leave you alone, I will, but at least tell me if you have feelings for me or not.", he choked, trying to hide the tears welling in his eyes.

"No, wait! That's not what I meant. Your miraculous! You're about to transform!"

With disappointment and a touch of relief he said, "You too, Princess. Wouldn't want to see each other's true selves, would we?". He laughed half-heartedly and shrugged. She proceeded to leave, leaping from balcony to balcony, until he spotted a flash of light signaling her transformation from an alley. He sighed. Maybe one day he could fully confess his feelings, and his lady would love him back...


End file.
